Electrical connector socket



r F. R. BoNHoMME ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SOCKET .Filed June 22, 1966 UnitedStates Patent O 3,470,527 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SOCKET Francois RobertBonhomme, Courbevoie, France, assignor to Connectronics Corporation, NewYork, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed .lune 22, 1966, Ser. No.559,516 Claims priority, application France, June 23, 1965,

1m. cl. rioir 13/24 U.S. Cl. 339-256 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREAn electrical connector socket having an inner tubular sleeve ofconducting material and an outer tubular piece coaxially surroundingthis sleeve. At least one resilient conducting wire having its endscarried by the respective ends of the tubular sleeve extends obliquelyto the longitudinal axis of this sleeve, this wire being able toresiliently engage a plug as it is inserted into the sleeve. The wire issecured in position at its ends by the cooperation of the tubular sleeveand the tubular piece.

The present invention relates to electric connector sockets intended tocooperate with corresponding plugs, said sockets comprising, inside arigid tubular sleeve, at least one resilient conducting Wire which, inthe absence of a plug, is rectilinear and oblique with respect to theaxis of said sleeve without intersecting said axis, the ends of saidwire being secured by setting to the respective ends of said sleeve. Theinvention is more particularly, but not exclusively, concerned withsockets of this type comprising a multiplicity of such wires forming thegeneratrices of a hyperboloid of revolution about the above mentionedaxis.

The object of the present invention is to provide improvements in suchsockets concerning simplicity, cost of manufacture and transverseoverall dimensions of such sockets.

According to the present invention, the sockets in question are arrangedin such manner that both ends of the wire or Wires are set by pinchingbetween the respective ends of the above mentioned tubular sleeve and ofthe inner wall of a single tubular piece surrounding said sleeve.

The method for making such a socket comprises disposing the wire, oreach of the wires, in the tubular sleeve, bending one of the ends ofsaid wire, or wires, against one end edge of the tubular sleeve,slipping the latter with said edge thereof ahead into the tubular pieceuntil said end of the wire or wires is caught between the end edge ofthe tubular sleeve and a transverse wall of the external tubular piece,and in deforming the end of said piece that is at the greater distancefrom said transverse wall so as to catch the other end of the wire, orthe other ends of the wires against the tubular sleeve.

'Ihe machine for making such socket comprises a support including a rstcylindrical portion the radius of which is substantially equal (with thenecessary clearance) to the inner radius of the tubular sleeve and whichis provided with positioning slots for the wire, and a secondcylindrical portion adjacent to the first one and the radius of which isequal (also with the provision of the necessary clearance) to the sum ofthe external radius of the tubular sleeve and of the diameter of thewires, a tube slidable on said second cylindrical portion, and means fordisplacing said last mentioned tube into overhanding position around thelirst cylindrical portion, then for pushing said tubular piece until itbears against said tube and causes it to move backward so as to belocated 3,470,527 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 entirely around the secondcylindrical portion of the support.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafterdescribed with reference to the appended drawing, given merely by Way ofexample, and in which:

FIGS. 1 to 5 diagrammatically illustrate the successive operations formaking a connector socket according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, with parts cut away, of a socket made asillustrated by FIGS. 1 to 5.

It is desired to make an electric connector socket comprising, inside arigid tubular sleeve 1, several rectilinear wires extending along thegeneratrices of a hyperboloid of revolution.

The socket (as shown in particular by FIG. 6) is arranged so that bothends 2a and 2b of every wire 2 are secured by wedgng or pinching betweenthe respective ends of sleeve 1 and a tubular piece 3 surrounding saidsleeve 1. Piece 3 is metallic and includes an extension 4 serving forthe fixation of an electric conductor (not shown) which, together withthe conductor secured to the plug (not shown) intended to be inserted inthe socket, is capable of ensuring the continuity of an electriccircuit.

This construction permits obtaining a mechanical continuity of thesocket which makes it more resistant when a plug s inserted thereinto ina direction which is not quite axial.

In order to manufacture such a socket, as shown by FIGS. 1 to 5, wires 2are disposed inside tubular sleeve 1 (FIGS. l and 2), the ends 2a ofsaid wires being applied against the portion of sleeve 1 adjoining saidedge 1a thereof (FIG. 3). Sleeve 1 is slipped into tubular piece 3, withedge 1a ahead (FIG. 4), until the ends 2a of wires 2 are caught betweenthe edge 1a of sleeve 1 and a transverse partition 5 of piece 3. The end6 of said piece 3 is bent or set in such manner as to apply againstsleeve 1 the other ends 2b of wires 2 (FIG. 6 where the end 6 of tubularpiece 3, after its deformation, is designated by reference numeral 6a).

In order to apply this method the following machine may be used.

This machine comprises a support 30 including on the one hand a firstcylindrical portion 31 the radius r of which (FIG. 1) is equal to theinner radius of tubular sleeve 1, said cylindrical portion 31 beingprovided with slots 32 for positioning wires 2 (only one of said slotshas been shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 but of course there are as many slots asthere are wires) and, on the other hand, a second cylindrical portion 33adjacent to the first one 31, and the radius R (FIG. 3) which is equalto the sum of the external radius of sleeve 1 and of the diameter ofwires 2.

A tube 34 is mounted slidable on the above mentioned second portion 33.

Means (not shown by the drawings) are provided for moving tube 34 intooverhanging position around the rst cylindrical portion 31 (as shown byFIG. 3) then for pushing tubular piece 3 toward the left until it comesto bear against tube 34 (FIG. 4) and causes it to move back toward theleft to be located Wholly about the second cylindrical portion 33 (FIG.5). As shown by FIGS. 1 to 5, the cylindrical portion 33 of greaterdiameter may consist of a tube 35 carried by the body of support 30 andslidable thereon.

The operation of the machine of FIGS. 1 to 5 is as follows:

First a sleeve 1 is slipped over the portion 31 of support 30. rIhenwires 2 are inserted into the slots 32 of said portion 31 (FIG. 1) theends 2a and 2b of wires 2 being bent, for instance at right angles. Thentube 34 3 (|FIG. 2) is moved toward the right until it folds the ends 2bof wires 2 between the inner wall of said tube 34 and the outer wall ofsleeve 1 (FIG. 3). During this step, tube 35 is pushed toward the -rightand keeps the ends 2b of wires 2 applied against element 1, preventingsaid ends 2b from moving during the subsequent operations. Then piece 3is moved toward the left, which folds the ends 2a of the wires betweenthe inner wall of piece 3 and the outer wall of sleeve 1. Piece 3 comesinto contact with tube 34 and keeps moving toward the left until theends 2a of the wires are caught between the edge 1a of element 1 and thetransverse wall 5 of piece 3 (FIG. 5). As the inner diameter of tube 34is very slightly greater than the inner diameter of piece 3 the wirescannot move during the operation illustrated by FIGS. 4 and 5. In orderto finish the socket, it suices to set the ends 2b of the wires bydeformation of piece 3 as shown at 6a in FIG. 6.

What I claim is: 1. An electrical connector socket intended to cooperatewith a connector plug which comprises, in combination, an inner rigidtubular sleeve of conducting material, at least one resilient conductingwire having ends carried by respective ends of said tubular sleeve so asto extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said sleeve in aposition where it can have limited area, resilient pressure, contactengagement with said plug as it is inserted into said sleeve, said wirehaving each of its ends hooked around the corresponding endsrespectively of said sleeve and being straight when not in engagementwith said plug,

and an outer, integral, tubular piece coaxially surrounding said sleeve,of an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of saidsleeve and 4 of a length a little greater than the sleeve,

said outer tubular piece having, at one end thereof and integraltherewith, and in the vicinity of one end of said inner sleeve, adeformed portion directed radially inwards, and said outer tubular piecehaving, integral therewith and in the vicinity of the other end of saidinner sleeve, a transverse partition, said outer tubular piececooperating with the inner tubular sleeve on the one hand radially tohold the ends of the wire between the inner circumference of the outerpiece and the outer circumference of the inner sleeve, and on the otherhand axially to hold the ends of said wire between the ends of the innersleeve and respectively the deformed portion and the transversepartition of the outer piece, whereby to hold said wire in saidposition.

length of said References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,107,966 10/1963Bonhomme 339-262 X 3,300,752. 1/ 1967 Benoit et al. 339-262 X FOREIGNPATENTS 1,267,456 6/ 1961 France.

206,628 11/ 1923 Great Britain.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner I. H. MCGLYNN, Assistant ExaminerU.S. Cl. X.R. 339--262

